Constitution of the Ancient Besaidian Republic
The Constitution of the Ancient Besaidian Republic was made shortly after the major expansions of the Besaidian Empire as a way to maintain the democracy and liberties that existed in the city of Besaid at its founding. While the original constitution doesn't have headers, only paragraphs, they have been added to this version for ease of reading. The original constitution was ratified some time around 900 BC. This version has been translated from the ancient Besaidian Language and approved by the National Assembly of Grand Besaid for historical purposes. Text of the Constitution Preamble We, the free Besaidian people of the Empire of Besaid, thankful to almighty God for everything he has done for us, hereby ordain and establish this constitution of our fair empire in this grand ninth day of the month of Mazrucha in this year two thousand sixty seven. We establish this constitution to secure for our nation and our children the benefits and gifts we enjoy ourselves. Our Government is as follows: Council of Representatives Elections and Members of the Council of Representatives In order to allow we, the people, a great voice in our national governors there shall be a council of representatives of one hundred and one members who serve for periods of one year. The people of the major regions of our empire shall choose fifty members by election to represent them, for each region’s culture and tradition are important to the strength of the empire. Another fifty members are to be chosen by the people from across the empire, each member shall represent and be elected by equal numbers of people, and no two of these representatives shall represent the same person; the fifty representatives combined shall represent all the people of the whole empire. The people of the entire nation shall elect the last member of the council. The most recent census shall be used to determine which representatives represent whom and where the boundaries of their constituency start and end. If a representative position becomes vacant, then special elections shall be held in the place the position represents to determine a replacement representative for the remainder of the yearlong period. Powers of the Council of Representatives This Council of Representatives shall have the power to pass the laws of our nation; to regulate our trades, both foreign and domestic; to collect and levy taxes from the people of our nation; and to pardon and excuse those who break our laws, sparing them from earthly punishment and disgrace. Furthermore, we vest in the Council of Representatives the power to declare war on our enemies; to proclaim holidays and days of celebration within our empire; to ratify and establish treaties with foreign powers; to appoint the officials of our military equal to and higher than general; and to ratify the results of censuses. We also give to this Council of Representatives the power to repeal and eliminate the laws of our nation; to provide for equality and fairness; to eliminate taxes; to cancel treaties; and to remove ambassadors and military officials lower than generals. The Council of Representatives may start impeachments against the Chancellor, the Censors, the Rosuks, and the Candorns; they may also start and try impeachments against Judges and Grand Court Members. Should the Chancellor, the Censors, the Rosuks, or the Candorns veto a motion of the Council of Representatives, then the Council of Representatives may void the veto and prevent any further vetoes on that specific motion by the concurrence of three-fourths of its members. Chancellor In order to give our nation a strong and singular leader that can compete with the kings of foreign nations, we the people, hereby establish the position of Chancellor. Our Chancellor, unlike a king, will be chosen by all of the people of our empire through fair elections every two years. Our Chancellor shall have the power to veto motions of the Council of Representatives; to Command and Control all members of our military and armed forces; and to appoint officials below the rank of general, and to delegate that power of appointment to other officials in the military. Our Chancellor shall also have the power to appoint messengers and ambassadors to foreign powers; to negotiate treaties, and then sign them after the council of representatives have approved them; to call emergency sessions of the council of representatives; and to propose motions into the Council of Representatives. The Chancellor shall be the highest enforcer of our laws, and may create a system of procedures to help enforce it. Instead of vetoing or approving a motion of the Council of Representatives, the Chancellor may submit it to the populous of our nation. After a motion’s submission to us, we, the people, may approve or reject the motion of our Council of Representatives; should we approve it, then it shall become law and be spared from all vetoes, should we reject it, then it shall not become a law and it shall not be able to be proposed for another year. Censors With the Censuses being so important to the operations of our empire, we, the people of the entire empire, decree the need for Censors. There shall be five Censors, and we shall elect one each year so that they may serve for periods of five years. Our Censors shall conduct and oversee the yearly censuses of our empire, and they shall have the power to appoint inferior census officials and delegate their powers and duties to them. These Censors may override and discard any veto of the Chancellor on motions dealing with the census and the appropriation of funds larger than a tenth of our national public treasury by a unanimous vote. Should the office of Chancellor become vacant, then the Censors shall choose a member of the Council of Representatives to be the replacement Chancellor for the remainder of the two-year period. These Censors may also start an impeachment against members of the Council of Representatives. Should one of the five Censor position become vacant, then the Chancellor shall appoint a replacement for the remainder of their five year period. Rosuks Since experts of the markets and roads of our empire are best found by their predecessors, so shall be the officials in charge of the same in our empire and they shall be known as Rosuks. Rosuks shall serve for twenty years before appointing their successor, and there shall be seven Rosuks in all. The Rosuks shall have the sole power to propose systems of weights and measures into the Council of Representatives for ratification and a majority vote of the Rosuks may override a chancellor’s veto on issues dealing with markets, weights, measures, and roads. These Rosuks of ours shall oversee and advise our Council of Representatives on issues dealing with trade, markets, roads, and commerce. More so, the Rosuks shall have the power to appropriate funds smaller than 1/10,000 of the treasury towards the building of roads and markets by a mere majority vote. Candorns The Chancellor shall appoint twelve Candorns to serve for the length of his term, and if one of the Candorns’ offices becomes vacant, then the Chancellor shall appoint his replacement for the remainder of his term. The Candorns shall advise the Chancellor and the other officials; and upon their appointment, they shall receive the rank of general until the end of their appointment. The Candorns shall oversee and conduct the collection of taxes, and they shall have the power to appoint other officials to help them collect taxes. The Candorns can override the Chancellor’s veto on a motion of the Council of Representatives dealing with taxation, and they, themselves, can veto a motion of the Council of Representatives dealing with taxation, both by a majority vote. Grand and Inferior Courts In order for our laws to be fairly interpreted and so that we, the people, may receive a fair trial when being accused of an offence, there shall be a Grand Court and other inferior courts. The Grand Court shall be made up of thirty-five members who serve for periods of eleven years; eleven members are to be appointed by the Rosuks, and approved by the Council of Representatives, one each year; eleven members are to be appointed by the Chancellor, and approved by the Council of Representatives, one each year; eleven members are to be appointed by the Censors, and approved by the Candorns, one each year. One member is to be elected by the populace of the entire empire every eleven years; and the last member is to be appointed by the Rosuks, and approved by the Chancellor. The Grand Court shall try impeachments against the Chancellors, the Censors, the Rosuks, the Candorns, and the members of the Council of Representatives. The Grand Court shall also create and maintain courts inferior to the Grand Court, oversee the juries in these courts, and appoint judges for these courts for periods of two years; they shall also be able to act as the ultimate court of appeals for all cases, which they do not hear from the start. The Grand Court may also void and abolish laws and policies created by the Council of Representatives, the Chancellor, the Censors, the Rosuks, and the Candorns for going against this constitution in word or spirit, for being inappropriate, or for infringing upon our rights, the natural liberties of the people. Qualifications of Officials All of our officials, whether Representatives in our Council of Representatives, the Chancellor, a Censor, a Rosuk, a Candorn, a Judge, a member of the Grand Court, or even another inferior official shall have to meet the following qualifications: they shall be at least twenty years old; they shall be a citizen of our empire; they shall be born in our empire, though that would already make them a citizen; they shall live in the place they are representing; and they shall have lived in our empire for at least ten consecutive years prior to holding their office. Rights and Powers of the People To ourselves, the people, we reserve the right to liberty and all natural liberties, to citizenship by being born in our empire to Besaidian parents, to make and repeal laws, to remove any and all officials we choose, and to vote in all elections once we are at least sixteen years old. All of us, whether an official or not, whether rich or poor, or anything else, shall receive the equal protection of the laws, and all of us shall be equal before the law. Never shall we be oppressed by a majority, and never shall the law discriminate against us. Lastly, we reserve to ourselves the right to form a democratic assembly to lead the nation as we see fit. Amendments Realizing how our empire changes, we also realize that our constitution may need to change. Therefore, amendments may be made to this constitution by being proposed and passed by a four-fifths vote in the Council of Representatives; after their passage in the Council of Representatives they shall be submitted to us, the people, and we shall need to approve these amendment motions by a three-fifths vote for them to become effective. Should less than three-fifths of us approve them, then they shall fail. Amendments shall become effective immediately after being approve by us, the people. 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